Chloe
Two weeks later
With a steady hand, I use my lucky tweezers to place the cushion-cut sapphire into the unique wedding set that I’ve been working on for the past couple of days. The groom was awesome to work with because he came in with pictures of what he wanted and was very clear on the design.
Those are my favorite clients because there is no hemming and hawing about ideas. He had a plan, and I’m executing it.
My stomach rolls, and I take a deep breath. I don’t know where the constant nausea has suddenly come from, but I have to be so careful about what I eat or drink now. My clothes in just two weeks’ time have gotten looser. I’ve been reduced to eating saltines with a little dab of peanut butter on them.
Pops has been over a lot, making sure I’m okay, and Dad still isn’t speaking to me. I’ve tried texting him and calling him, but he’s not answering. Pops says he’s been working on him, but I told him I didn’t want Dad forced or guilted into talking to me. I’m not going to feel bad about it because I didn’t get pregnant on purpose, but I’m not going to regret this innocent baby, either.
I haven’t heard from Joe, but considering his reaction, I’m not surprised. A part of me wants to be sad, but another part of me says that it’s not worth the effort. Plus I’ve felt so terrible lately I don’t have the energy to care.
I focus back on the rings. The engagement ring is gorgeous with its platinum band and a sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds as the centerpiece. The wedding band is thin with matching diamonds set into it. With all of the gems, I was worried about them looking like costume jewelry, but instead they look vintage. After polishing them up, I place them on the little stand and grab my phone to take pictures.
When I stand up to grab a jewelry box, I have to grab my chair because I feel like I’m going to fall over. I take some deep breaths and the feeling passes, but my heart feels like it’s racing. I grab my herbal tea and take a small sip, and thankfully it stays down. Too bad it tastes like ass, and I’d kill for a nonfat caramel macchiato.
I give the groom a quick call to tell him the rings are ready, and he’s so excited he’s heading my way now. This is why I love doing what I do. Last year for my dads’ thirty-fifth anniversary, I made them matching rings with mine and Carter’s birthstones and left enough room to add spouses and children someday, and obviously my child will be the first.
Ten minutes goes by, and I’m sipping my tea when Mr. Harmon sticks his head in the back. “Chloe. Mr. Peterson is here for his rings.”
I grab the box. “Do you want to see them first?”
He takes the box from me and slowly opens it. Very carefully, he pulls them out and looks at them. “Chloe, these are gorgeous. Is this a vintage setting?”
“No, sir. But that was the look he was going for.”
“Well, I think you’re going to have a very satisfied customer.” He wipes his fingerprints off and then places them back in the box. I take the box from him and stand up, swaying slightly. Luckily, he doesn’t notice.
When I’m in the middle of a design, I tend to dress more for comfort, and Mr. Harmon has never complained. My hair is in a knot on top of my head, and I’m wearing cut-off sweats, another vintage t-shirt, and my Adidas. My shirt and shorts are covered by a smock, though, but crap, I think I forgot to put on makeup today.
My customer is standing on the other side of the counter, and I can tell he’s excited. He sees me come through the doors, and his energy is palpable. “Hi, Mr. Peterson. Come have a seat, and I’ll show you the set.” I take him over to my desk where I usually do my consultations.
We both sit, and I hand him the box. He opens it very slowly and pulls the engagement ring out first. “This is everything I wanted it to be.” Oh no. My eyes immediately fill with tears. “My Sarah is going to love it.” His Sarah? Oh wow. This guy wants me to lose it and start crying all over him.
“I’m so pleased you’re happy with them. Your Sarah is very lucky.” He pays the remaining balance, and I place the box in a decorative gift box with a purple satin bow. I grab a little gift bag from under the counter. My vision goes hazy, and I feel my heartbeat in my ears. I grip the counter but feel my fingers begin to tingle.
“Are you okay? Somebody help!” I hear someone yell, and then arms wrap around me before everything goes dark.
A steady beep pulls me from my sleep. I hear soft talking, and my eyes flutter open. There is a low light shining down on me. My eyes scan the room, and it looks like I’m in the hospital, but why? It comes back to me—feeling dizzy at work, my vision going hazy, and then me falling to the ground.
When I had come to, my boss was hovering over me, and then there were paramedics there. I told them I was pregnant, and they immediately loaded me up onto the gurney. I’d asked Mr. Harmon to call my dads as I was wheeled past him.
I turn my head to the side and see Dad and Pops sitting next to my bed, and Dad’s holding my hand. “Hey,” I say softly. They both get up, and my dad begins to cry, hugging me tightly to him. He takes a deep breath and gets control of himself.
“You sure scared us, baby girl.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I haven’t been feeling good lately, and I’ve been too nauseous to eat much. I’ve been living on saltines and peanut butter and herbal tea. I should’ve called my doctor, especially when I felt my shorts getting looser.” He strokes my hair out of my face. “I’m sorry, Daddy. Don’t be mad at me anymore.”
“Oh sweetheart, you don’t have any reason to apologize. I’m the one who’s sorry.” He kisses my forehead before moving so Pops can get to me.
“The doctor popped in a few minutes ago, but he let you sleep. I’ll go get him.” My pops disappears, and my dad grabs my hand.
“Did you guys call Carter?” I know my brother is probably freaking out.
“Yeah, he should be here anytime. Honey, he said he was calling Joe.” My eyes widen. “He wasn’t planning on telling us that it’s Joe’s baby until you were ready, even though we figured it out. He was going to call Joe and tell him about you.”
“Daddy, he doesn’t want this baby. I wish you guys would’ve waited before you called him. If he shows up, it’ll be out of guilt, and I don’t want that.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. We didn’t even think about that. We are just screwing this all up. Maybe I’ll call Stacy and have her run interference.”
I nod my head because that sounds like a great idea, and I tell my dad that. He excuses himself to make the call when my pops comes back in followed by a man in a lab coat. “Chloe, this is Dr. Swanson.”
“Hi, Chloe. Can you tell me about your symptoms and when they started?”
He helps me raise the head of the bed. I want to be sitting up. “Certain things have made me a little queasy, like chicken, but not constantly. The constant nausea started around two weeks ago and has progressively gotten worse. The only food I’ve been able to tolerate is peanut butter and crackers. Even then I can only tolerate a couple bites.”
“We’re going to prescribe something for you for the nausea, but I want you to try taking some ginger and thiamine first. I’ll write out how much to take and when. If those pills don’t work, then you’ll need to start Zofran. If it gets any worse with the meds, you’ll need to follow up with your doctor because you may need IV fluids, but I do want you following up with her anyway.” He scribbles some things down and then looks back up at me. “Your IV’s about empty—I’ll get your discharge papers and send the nurse to unhook you and let you go home. I want you to take the next couple of days easy, and let’s hope the ginger and thiamine work. You take care.”
He takes his leave, and I sit up more in bed and swing my legs over the side. My pops sits down next to me. “I think you should come home with us. Let us take care of you.”
“Dad, no, I’m seriously okay. I don’t need to be disrupting your lives. I’ll be fine. You guys live five minutes from my house, so I can always call you if I need you. Plus, who would take care of my babies?” Sure, they’ve watched my cats before, but they don’t give them cuddles like I do.
“Fine, but after we get you settled at home, your dad and I will get your medicine for you. We’ll also get your car from the jewelry store,” Pops says before moving out of the way so the nurse can unhook my IV and give me my discharge papers and prescriptions.
Dad insists on carrying me out of the hospital while Pops gets their SUV and pulls it up in front of the doors. Pops shakes his head at Dad. “Ian, her legs aren’t broken. She can walk.”
He just rolls his eyes. “I know, but our baby is sick, and I don’t want her walking, so just let me do it.”
Dad sits me in the front seat and buckles me in. “Daddy, I can do it myself.”
“I know, but I have to make up for being a complete dick. My baby’s having a baby. I’m going to be his or her favorite.” He gives Pops a look.
I hear Pops whisper something under his breath about being the favorite. “Seriously?” I say. “You do realize you’ll be my child’s only grandparents, right? You can share the duties of being the favorites.”
They both get quiet, and I choose to ignore it. I know why, too—it’s because they probably think I should let Joe’s parents know so that they can decide to be involved with their grandchild or not, but what if it’s not my place to tell them? What if they hate me? What if Tay Tay and Dustin hate me and take Joe’s side and then I lose them?
We pull up in front of my house, and I see Carter’s Jeep is in the driveway. Before I can get out of the SUV, my dad already has the door open and is trying to pick me up, but I manage to shoo him away. “Daddy, I’m fine. Seriously…please let me walk.”
As soon as my feet touch the ground, they both have an arm around me. It’s overkill, but I’ll let it go for now. The front door opens, and my brother is standing there. “Always trying to be the center of attention, huh?”
Ragnar and Lagertha both move in front of Carter and greet me with matching meows. “Hi, my precious babies. Mommy is okay.”
“Oh, brother,” I hear Dad groan from behind me, but as soon as they step in behind me, they both curse. That’s when I realize someone is standing in the middle of my living room.
“Joe? What are you doing here?”
He walks toward me hesitantly. “Your brother got ahold of me and told me you were sick. I wanted to come check on you myself.”
I give my brother a look that I hope conveys that I’m not too happy with him. Pops gets in front of me, but I try to move back in front. “Boy, you’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here. I know you told her to leave when she told you about the baby.”
“Dad, that’s enough. Please let us talk, okay? Can you guys go get my prescriptions filled? You also said you’d get my car. I’ll be fine, and we’re just going to talk.” Finally, I get them to go and turn back around to face Joe.
God, why does he have to look good? He’s wearing a t-shirt that is molded to his lean, muscular frame and jeans that cling to his firm thighs. A baseball cap sits on his head, creating a shadow over his blue eyes.
“Thanks for coming, and as you can see, I’m okay.” I walk into the kitchen and fill up my kettle with water before setting it on the stove. My eyes stay on it even when I feel Joe enter the room. His presence is so much larger than life that he fills any room that he enters.
I continue to ignore him while I wait for the water to boil. “Listen, I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry. You just caught me by surprise, and I didn’t know what to do or say.” I stay facing the stove, and I hear him sigh. “I want to be involved in our child’s life. I want to know him or her.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll keep you posted.”
“You’ll keep me posted? Well, gee, thanks.” He sounds pissed, and of course I feel bad.
“What else do you want me to say, Joe? Your first reaction was to tell me to leave.” My stomach picks this moment to rebel against me and this time violently. I make it to the sink just in time, but because I’ve barely eaten, it’s mostly bile. I dry heave a few times and feel Joe’s hand on my back, gently rubbing it.
The tea kettle whistles, and I stand up to go to it, but Joe stops me. “I’ll take care of that.” He moves away, and I turn my head to see him shut my stove off and move the kettle.
Joe moves back toward me and scoops me up in his arms. “What are you doing?”
“You need to rest. Which bedroom is yours?” We reach my room, and my cats are both lounging on my bed. “What kind of cats are those? They’re fucking huge.”
I can’t help but laugh. “That’s Ragnar and Lagertha. They’re Maine Coons. They’re named after my favorite characters from the show Vikings.”
Joe lays me down on top of my bed, and immediately both my babies snuggle into me. He just shakes his head and leaves my room. Is he leaving? Wow, not even a goodbye. Of course, he returns a few minutes later with a cup in his hand.
“I didn’t know what you wanted in your tea, so I left it plain.” I sit up in bed and take the mug from him.
“Thanks. I hate tea, so it doesn’t really matter what I do to it because it all tastes like a dirty dishrag.” Joe throws his head back and laughs. It’s a rich, full-bodied sound that creates little flutters in my stomach. He looks back down at me, and the smile on his face is so beautiful it takes my breath away.
“I’ve never heard it described that way before.”
We lapse into an awkward silence. I set my mug down and pick up Laggie. “Sweet baby kitty.” She answers me with a meow. The bed compresses next to me as Joe sits down so close to me we’re practically touching.
Joe grabs Lagertha from my lap and holds her up so she’s facing him. “Which one is this?”
“Lagertha.” I’m waiting for him to make fun of me.
“Are you a shield maiden?” he asks. Her answer is another meow, and she doesn’t look happy. Ragnar doesn’t like being ignored, so he puts his paws on Joe’s upper back and begins to purr loudly. “These are the coolest fucking cats I’ve ever seen. The one behind me is Ragnar?”
“Yes, and thank you, they are pretty cool.” I grab my tea, taking a small sip when I hear the front door open. I expect it to be the dads and Carter but smile widely when Eli walks into my bedroom. Eli is half-black and half-Mexican and has bleached hair dyed dark blue. His dark chocolate eyes take in Joe sitting next to me on the bed and then look to me.
“Hi, honey.” I climb off the bed and gingerly walk toward him. “Did Carter call you?”
“Yeah, he said you fainted. Is this him?” He looks to Joe.
“Joe, this is Eli, my best friend, bandmate, and pain in my ass. Eli, this is Joe Carmichael. He’s Vi’s cousin and well…um…you know.” They shake hands, and I can tell Eli wants to try and intimidate him, but Joe’s got at least two inches and a hell of a lot more muscle on him.
“Nice meeting you, Eli.”
“You too.” Eli looks at me and mouths fucking hot.
I shake my head and roll my eyes as I hear Joe chuckle. Joe knows he’s hot—I don’t know why I should’ve even been surprised that Eli had that reaction.
My parents and brother return shortly after, and honestly, I want everyone gone. I’m grateful they want to help and take care of me, but they’ll hover, and I don’t want or need anyone hovering over me.
I’m not sure why Joe’s still here, but he is and hasn’t really left my side. Both of my dads keep giving him dirty looks, but Joe takes it in stride. He even tries to engage them in conversation. Eli has his arm wrapped around me, and his lips are tipped up in a smile.
“This is positively the most entertaining show I’ve seen in a long time.”
A giggle escapes before I can stop it. “I know, right?” I kiss Eli’s cheek before moving toward my family. “I love you guys, but you can go now. You all have to work, and I’m obviously going to stay home tomorrow.”
Carter looks at Joe, then back at me. “Are you sure?”
“Thank you, but yes, I’m sure. I already feel bad that you got pulled away from work.” I turn to look at my fathers. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got my medicine, and you’re close by in case I need you.”
“Fine, but you call us before you go to bed,” Pops says as he kisses my forehead.
Next is Dad, who hugs me tight. “I love you, baby girl.” He punctuates his words with a kiss to my cheek.
“Eli, let’s go. You need to get home, too. I don’t need you going all mother hen on me too.” I turn to Joe. “I’ll be right back unless you’re planning on leaving too.”
“I’ll wait right here.” I nod and follow my family outside and watch them all drive away.
Nervous anticipation fills me as I enter my house and find Joe where I left him, in the kitchen. I lean against the doorjamb and watch him. He’s slathering saltines with peanut butter and arranging them on a plate. “I can’t eat all of those.”
“They’re actually for both of us. Your brother said this is the only thing you’ve been able to eat. If I can’t take you to dinner, then this is the next best thing.” Grabbing the plate, he leads me to the kitchen table. After setting the plate down, he pulls my chair out.
“Thank you for this.” We silently munch on the peanut butter crackers. The salty and sweet mixture tastes delicious, but I really wish I could eat something else. My cats sit on the floor in between us. Ragnar is hoping for a spare crumb, and Lagertha just loves being where her brother is.
Joe finishes off the crackers and puts the dirty plate in my sink. He moves through my kitchen with ease, making me another cup of tea.
“How involved do you plan on being? How is this going to work with you four hours away?”
He sits across from me, and I take a sip of my tea, waiting for him to answer. “I’d like to be involved as much as you’ll let me. The distance might make it hard, but I can come up whenever I have time off.”
“Why would you want to spend that much time here?”
He raises his eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I? Chloe, you’re the mother of my child. Shouldn’t we get to know each other better?”
That makes sense. We’re going to be raising a child together to some capacity. It’s only logical that we get to know each other. “You’re right. Sorry, this is just all crazy, and it wasn’t planned. I’m a planner. Things have to be a certain way. I don’t deal with change well, which isn’t good because kids are unpredictable. Hell, this pregnancy has been unpredictable already.” I lay my head down on the table. “I’m going to be a terrible mother.”
Tears threaten to fall…again, but I push them back. I’ve never been a crier, but this baby is turning me into a freaking crybaby. I only have vague recollections of my mom, and honestly I don’t know if they’re good or bad. It’s just random images. Carter was too young to remember her at all. I do remember how I felt the day I met Ian and Garrett: Dad and Pops. I felt safe and immediately loved.
Not just by them, but the whole family as well. I thought I’d drown in all the love they gave us. Tay Tay became my favorite person the moment I met her. She always looked like a Disney princess to me. Whenever we’d go down to visit Uncle Gary and Aunt Renée, I’d always stay with my Tay Tay.
Images assault me of a night I wish I’d forget. Stacy had been involved with a DEA agent. When she found out he was married, she broke it off, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’d been sleeping over at her house when I got up to go to the bathroom. A man covered in tattoos stood in the hallway asking me about her and Dustin.
He’d told me if I told anyone, he’d hurt my Tay Tay. It took a long time to get over that and to not freak out when Stacy wasn’t around. It caused a rift between her and Pops, but they eventually made up…I haven’t thought about that night in a long time. Why now?
“Are you okay?” I look at Joe, who is looking at me with concern written on his face.
“Yeah, sorry. My mind just wandered off.”
He grabs my hand. “Are you sure? You look troubled.”
“The baby has my hormones going bonkers, and it’s just got me thinking about my birth mom or what I can remember. That isn’t much, but she obviously was a horrible mother. Carter was born and had cocaine in his system; it’s why they took us.” I swipe angrily at the tears that fall. “What if this baby makes something snap in my brain and I become her?”
The scraping sound of a chair moving has me looking up as Joe gets down on his knees next to me. “No tears, babe. I don’t think it happens that way. Everything you’re feeling is normal. When my sister was pregnant with Rion, she cried all the time. It was always about little stuff, but to her, it was monumental. It stopped when she got through the beginning. I didn’t know your mom, but from what I know of you, I don’t think you’re the type to do anything that would hurt your child, our child.”
I blow out a breath. Joe’s so close that his woodsy scent permeates my senses. My breasts tingle, and I feel myself get wet. What is happening to me? I’m like a big jumbled emotional rollercoaster.
Before I can stop myself, I reach out and cup Joe’s face. His sky blue eyes bore into me, and I’m lost. Leaning forward, I place my lips against his. They’re full but masculine. He immediately takes control of the kiss but keeps it soft. His hand moves under my shirt. He reaches my overly sensitive breasts, and I moan against his mouth.
The sound of a phone ringing breaks the spell, and we break apart. “Shit.” Joe looks at his phone and then back at me. “I have to take this.” I nod.
“Hey, Mom. Yeah, I’ll be there.” There’s a pause, and he looks at me. “I’m in Atlanta.” There’s another pause. “I’m visiting Chloe.”
I’m shocked he just told her that. I raise an eyebrow, and he just smiles at me. I mouth, Are you staying?
He mouths back, Am I?
I nod and stand up while Joe talks to his mom, and when I go to move past him, he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to stand between his legs. He props his phone up on his shoulder and places his large hand on my lower stomach. I bite my lip as my whole body trembles. He can feel it—I know he can, because his eyes darken.
“Yeah, I’m staying up here tonight. I’ll be home tomorrow.” A pause. “I will. I love you too.” He removes his hand from my stomach and then grabs his phone, disconnecting the call. Joe grips my hips and pulls me to stand further between his legs.
I melt when again he places his large hand on my stomach. “I can’t believe a part of me is right inside here,” he says reverently.
I pull the ball cap off his head, running my fingers through his dark brown hair. It’s shaved close on the sides and around the back and longer on top. I kiss the top of his head but quickly pull away. What the hell am I doing?
“Should we get married?”
I freeze. “W-What?”
He looks up at me. “Do you think we should get married? For the baby?”
“No. God, no. We barely know each other. You don’t have to marry me to be involved with our baby. It’ll be a little difficult at first since you’re four hours away, but maybe we can come stay with you on weekends or whenever you’d want to see them. No matter what, I’d never keep your child from you. I’m not that person. My child will not be some pawn used to hurt you or trap you.”
Joe smiles a big goofy smile at me. “And you were worried you’d be a bad mom. That right there. What you just said shows the kind of mom you’re going to be.”
My hands rest on Joe’s shoulders. God, he feels firm, and his hands feel so good on me. He’s making me confused and super horny, but my stomach is turning. Reluctantly, I pull away. “My stomach is a little iffy right now.”
Joe stands up, and before I can protest, he’s got me in his arms. I’m finding that he really likes carrying me around. We move into my living room, and he lays me down in the corner of my sectional. It’s a loveseat with an attached chaise lounge. The fabric is a soft enduro-suede and a beautiful bluish-gray color.
“I’m getting your pills. Sit tight.”
I hear him bang around in my kitchen when both of my cats come strutting in and jump up, settling in next to me. My fingers sift through Ragnar’s then Lagertha’s soft hair. Their purrs make me smile. I lie down, hugging one of my pillows to my chest. My stomach turns, and I want to die right now…Not really, but this constant nausea is becoming irritating.